Skip to content
Home » Note, Paper: Two New in View

Note, Paper: Two New in View

  • by

The latest Research Notes of the AAS is September (vol. 9 #9). In it:

Petrov, D.  Estimation of the Albedo and Diameter of the Asteroid (16960) 1998 QS52 Using the Polarimetric Method  Art 233  ae01a5
de la Fuente Marcos, C. de la Fuente Marcos, R.  Meet Arjuna 2025 PN7, the Newest Quasi-satellite of Earth  Art 235  ae028f

Petrov may be doing small-time work, but valued work nonetheless. The vast number of asteroids, after discovery and orbit determination, then go largely unfollowed (except at times photometry- their lightcurves). Petrov gives his polarimetry results, with an estimate for albedo, and thus diameter- a few kilometers. This data is a bit difficult to get through alternate methods, and we now have two major puzzle pieces towards this celestial body. Almost all other pieces are complementary.

As to de la Fuente Marcos et al., we have another piece of the Earth-adjacent Solar System. The object 2025 PN7 actually orbits the Sun, sure, but in an Earth-tied, 365-day orbit. That is, PN7 is bound to us in a commensurate, 1:1 orbit as a “quasi-satellite”, making lazy, 365-day loops around Earth too. It joins a few other quasi-satellites and different 1:1 objects.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *